Local and world-famous movie stars walked along Morelia’s colonial streets last week as the 23rd Morelia International Film Festival (FICM) kicked off its 10-day celebration of Latin American cinema, running through Sunday.
On Friday night, Brazilian filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho, winner of this year’s Best Director Award at Cannes, walked FICM’s red carpet before presenting his latest film, “O Agente Secreto” (“The Secret Agent”).
“I think this is an exciting moment, and I hope that this afternoon, a man or a woman is working on a new film that might be in Morelia next year,” said Mendonça earlier that day, commenting on the state of modern filmmaking in Brazil.
During the inaugural weekend, the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) Film Archive honored Mendonça and Argentine director Lucrecia Martel with medals recognizing individuals who have enriched world film heritage. Previous recipients of this award include Willem Dafoe, Jodie Foster and Alexander Payne. Medal recipient Martel also presented her latest movie, “Nuestra Tierra” (“Our Land”) during the weekend.
The festival also featured French Oscar-winning actress Juliette Binoche, known for her role in “The English Patient.” Binoche presented her new film “In-I: In Motion.” On Monday, Charlie Kaufman, Oscar-winning writer of “Being John Malkovich” and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” hosted a Q&A after a screening of “How to Shoot a Ghost,” a short that is the result of his fourth time in the director’s chair. .
Among other stars present was Spanish director Pablo Berger, whose Oscar-nominated animated film “Robot Dreams” was projected on one of Morelia’s central squares.
Before the screening, Berger unveiled his personalized cinema seat, in a FICM tradition honoring its most notable guests.
“Yesterday, I was at ‘The Secret Agent’ screening and felt envious watching Kleber take his seat. Now I get to sit in mine too,” a delighted Berger exclaimed to the crowd.
During the inaugural weekend, a total of five seats were added to the collection — which can be found at the Morelia Cinépolis Centro — and five more will be unveiled as the festival continues.
Promoting Mexican talent
The FICM is known for its efforts to promote local filmmakers, with its competition fully focused on Mexican productions. This year’s judging body, which includes Berger and other prominent industry figures, will evaluate 102 films competing across multiple categories.
Among the films competing for the feature film award are David Pablos’ “En El Camino” (“On the Road”), produced by renowned actor Diego Luna, and Fernando Eimbcke’s “Olmo,” which explores themes of adolescence, migration and palliative care. Brad Pitt’s entertainment company, Plan B, produced Eimbcke’s movie. Plan B is behind acclaimed films like “12 Years a Slave” and the recent “F1.”
The 2025 edition of FICM also boasts a large selection of Michoacán-made short films; an Indigenous Peoples Forum, featuring 10 productions directed by Indigenous people; and the Film Projects Development Lab for Indigenous and Afro-descendant Filmmakers.
This year, 10 filmmakers from across Mexico, from Yucatán to Colima, took part in the fully funded third forum. For four days, experts from the film industry offered guidance on the participants’ projects in workshops and personal advisory sessions. Meanwhile, the filmmakers also learned from one another, sharing experiences and insights.
“The idea is to be able to make the voices and the gazes of the Indigenous filmmakers visible,” said Andrea Stavenhagen, one of the coordinators of the lab. “The more voices and more diversity we have within the film industry, the more enriching it will be. If cinema is culture, and culture is a reflection of ourselves, it has to be inclusive of all those voices.”
Stavenhangen hopes to see some of this year’s projects return to Morelia in a couple of years, this time on the big screen.
“Sueños Que Migran” (“Dreams That Migrate”) by Tzotzil Maya director Xun Pérez Pérez, who participated in the first edition of the Indigenous Film Lab, serves as an example. This Monday, Pérez’s film was shown at Impulso Morelia, a platform at the festival for films currently in postproduction.
Jodie Foster and Stellan Skarsgard to showcase their films
Although the inaugural weekend has come to an end, there are still plenty of events to enjoy before the festival ends Sunday. There will be daily screenings of competing films, leading up to the awards ceremony on Friday.
Of special note, on Saturday, at the Cinepolis Las Americas cinema, American movie star and director Jodie Foster will present the French black comedy “Vie Privée” (“A Private Life”), in which she stars and which was an official selection at Cannes this year. Also, veteran Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård will showcase “Sentimental Value,” directed by Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier, at the historic Teatro Matamoros.
Internationally known Mexican movie star Gael García Bernal will participate in a Q&A along with a special screening of “Amores Perros” to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Alejandro González Iñárritu’s film, which was García Bernal’s breakthrough role. That’s happening at the Cinepolis Centro on Thursday.
Individual tickets to the upcoming functions can be bought two days before their showing at the ticket offices, on the FICM website, or on the Cinépolis website, where you can also purchase passes for either six or eleven movies (which must be collected in person). These passes allow you to enjoy a selection of showings from the FICM’s impressive program, along with kilos of popcorn at a discounted price, provided there is still availability when redeeming your vouchers at the cinema.
Vera Sistermans is a freelance journalist and security analyst based in Mexico City. Her work mostly focuses on Indigenous culture, violence, and resilience.
